Judy's Spacken Chili

Memories from a Childhood in Outback Queensland

In the place of an absent father I was fortunate to spend many of my childhood years with my grandparents. They lived at the end of a rail line in outback Queensland, Australia, in the pioneer town of Springsure with about 300 people. The large house with verandas all around had no electricity and no indoor plumbing. Drinking water came from rainwater and "hard" water came from a well and windmill. Between grandma's chickens and grandpa's huge garden watered by the windmill, food was plentiful. Grandma's cooking on the cast iron wood stove is still a strong and very pleasant memory of the sights and smells.

Judy - My Wife - My Best Friend - My Mate

Grandma's dishes often came in phases. Phase 1 might be a Sunday dinner roast chicken with baked potatoes, onions, carrots and pumpkin (Queensland Blue Squash) and green beans. All the meat and vegetables came from home. Phase 2 might be a chicken soup made with the leftover chicken and vegetables and possibly some added rice. Sometimes there might be a Phase 3 in which these leftovers were transformed into a curried chicken dish loaded with added raisins and served with rice. The refrigerator space was limited. It was a relatively small refrigerator powered by a kerosene flame. The kerosene, which had travelled hundreds of miles by rail and steam trains, was expensive. Leftovers were usually kept for a short time in a suspended meat "safe" on the coolest back porch.  In its simplest form the "safe" was a metal frame cube with sides 2 to 3 feet long and covered with fine metal mesh to keep the flies out and allow any breezes to cool the content.

This dish, Judy's Spacken Chili, is a Phase 2 dish and was designed to wife Judy's requirements. If the sunday meat was finished then canned meat from the pantry could be used with the leftover vegetables from the Sunday meal"Spacken" my recipe in which I replace chicken with Spam. You can of course use either Spam of chicken. Cans of Spam or Bully Beef, a reserve food in most outback pantries, were often  needed in times of floods and bush fires. Spam is a favorite dish from Judy's childhood. For more information on Spam see previous blog.




Phase 2: Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients

2 quarts of chicken broth - Grandma made it from long, slow boiling of leftovers on the back of the stove.

1 quart of water


4 cups of chopped chicken leftovers

2 medium chopped onions

2 cups of chopped celery

2 cups of sliced  carrots into 1 inch pieces

1 small Uncle Ben's 6 oz. Long grain & wild rice original recipe packet.
This rice packet adds both white and wild rice as well an excellent selection of blended spices.

1 teaspoon each of salt,  pepper, and garlic powder, or in place of the garlic powder use (my preference) one teaspoon of Mrs Dash's  Blend of Tomato, Basil and Garlic.

Add all the ingredients to a pot and slow boil for an hour.

This should serve 6 people.


Phase 2: Judy's Spacken Chili

Ingredients


2 - 3 quarts of leftover Phase 1 soup

3 cans of Spam

1 can 28 oz. Bush baked beans - Country Style (includes bacon and brown sugar)

1 can 19 oz. Cannellini beans

1 can 16 oz. diced Italian tomatoes

1 bell pepper

2 medium onions

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons of chili powder.

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

4 packets of Equal (sugar substitute)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash blend of tomato, basil and garlic (my preference)

1 cup Spicy Hot V8 Juice

1 can 12 oz. tomato paste

Chop the Spam into 1 inch cubes. Brown in a pan with the olive oil, add the chopped onions and bell pepper and saute.

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and allow to simmer for at least 45 minutes while stirring well.

Place the contents in 8-10 one-quart canning jars. This makes a great meal in a hurry for guests who arrive with limited notice.






This is not a thick chili. Judy prefers her chili "brothy" or soupy. The tomato paste does make the mixture thicker. Add a cup of dried potato flakes to make the traditional thick texture. Simmering on a slow boil for at least an hour does reduce liquid. You will need to stir well.

 Grandpa Hofmeister's Windmill and Vegetable Garden - 1949

In this photo Sandy Creek is flooded. The present generation looks to solar and wind power to combat pollution. Grandpa's generation used wind power, which provided the water for bathing and the home garden produce, which then supported the family food supply and provided much of the chicken food. I described up to 3 phases in the reuse of meals. There was also a fourth phase. Any leftover food became chicken food and contributed to the ongoing supply of chicken meat and eggs. There was virtually no garbage. Between the chickens and the wood cookstove, leftover food and paper products were taken care of. Some paper products, such as newspapers and the Sears Catalog, were needed in the outhouse.